Government Urged to Revise Monthly Visa Caps

Forty six organisations, including the Institute of Physics (IOP) have called for the Government to lift caps on the number of specified skilled workers in science and innovation who can come into the UK each year. The signed letter, written by the Campaign for Science and Engineering to Prime Minister Theresa May, urges the Government to revise its policy on limiting the number of visas for the UK that can be granted each month to workers from outside the European Economic Area.

It points out that two-thirds of the roles on the list are in science, technology, maths and medicine, demonstrating the Government’s recognition of demand in these areas and  that polling has consistently shown that the public overwhelmingly supports continued immigration of skilled workers and said: “We urge the Government to take this opportunity to revise the current policy and exempt roles on the Shortage Occupation List and PhD level roles from the Tier 2 cap.”

IOP’s Interim Director of Policy and Public Affairs, Tony McBride, said: “The strength of UK science and the benefits that it brings to the nation are built on the skills of the people who work in it. This understanding is at the heart of the Industrial Strategy and should also be central to the UK’s immigration system.

“We hope that the Government will provide an exemption from the Tier 2 Visa Cap for shortage occupations and PhD-level jobs as an important step towards creating an immigration system that allows UK science and industry to attract the best people, no matter where they come from.”